Noxious pothole odour makes hawker centre no-go zone

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 26): Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, resident Kum Thong Wong has a problem with long-standing potholes in front of a hawker centre in Lorong Ara Kiri, Lucky Garden.

Kum, a Department of Pathology professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, frequents the food outlet about four to five times a week for breakfast but the potholes nearby have been bothering him for a while now.

“I am more concerned about Aedes larvae at this point. The stagnant waters in these potholes could possibly breed these mosquitoes,” he said.

“However, the stench that is caused by the puddles is more than I can bear,” he said to The Malaysian Insider.

Kum said these potholes had been there for the longest time and felt that no one seemed to care about what it could possibly bring about. However, he said that he not made a formal complaint to Kuala Lumpur City Hall because previous experience had left him a little despondent with the local authorities.

When The Malaysian Insider visited the hawker centre the smell from the pothole was overpowering and the eatery did not have many customers.

One of the vendors, who declined to be named, said that while City Hall did come to patch some of the potholes nearby, contractors could not patch up all of them.

“They couldn’t cover all the holes because cars were parked over some of them but City Hall is aware of them,” adding that lack of custom might not be solely due to the pothole problem.

City Hall director of Civil Engineering and Urban Transportation Aziz Yusof said covering and patching potholes was a “never ending story” and that his department relied on the public to help highlight potholes in their area.

“We have Public Service Transportation Delivery (PSTD) teams that will be dispatched as quickly as possible to cover the potholes once the complaint has been received.” -- The Malaysian Insider

The public can call Integrated System Pemantauan Aduan Agensi Awam (iSPAAA) toll free: 1800-88-3255 or visit ispaaadbkl.dbkl.gov.my/eApps/sdmscasepool/SdmsCasePool/add.do to make a complaint.

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